Hogmanay: Edinburgh’s Amazing New Year’s Celebration

February 16, 2015 / By NomadicMatt

I hate New Year’s Eve. To me, it’s a non-holiday. A night out where bars have an excuse to overcharge customers, people get excited for a 20-second countdown, and you realize after the clock turns over that life is still the same. New Year’s Eve is just another night. I typically spend the “holiday” with my friends in some foreign country and am home shortly after midnight. I don’t see what the fuss is about.

Yet, despite my dislike for the night, two events have always been on my “must do on New Year’s” list: Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and Sydney’s firework festival. To me, these are more than an overhyped night out — they are huge events with music, fireworks, crowds, entertainment, food, and celebration. I’ve listened with awe and wonder to the stories my friends have shared about the events. Each event holds a mythic place in my head.

And, when presented with the opportunity to finally attend Edinburgh’s Hogmanay this year, I took it.*

Hogmanay (a Gaelic word for the last day of the year) is one of the largest New Year’s celebrations in the world, attracting over 75,000 people for the two-day celebration. Though the Scots have been celebrating this day for centuries, the modern iteration with musical acts, a torchlight procession, multiple fireworks displays, and a large street party dates back only to 1992.

The celebration begins on December 30 with a torchlight procession through the city (8,000 people took part this year), led by the Up Helly Aa Vikings from Shetland, that culminates in a large bonfire and fireworks display. Then, on December 31, the streets close to traffic and fill with people, as musicians start performing on multiple stages throughout the city in a lead-up to the massive fireworks that erupt over the castle.

And, as if that weren’t enough, there’s a carnival in Edinburgh’s downtown that begins days before the New Year’s festivities and ends days after.

While I could continue to tell tales about the event itself, the whisky I drank, and the music I danced to, pictures (with descriptions) do this festival better justice. You simply need to see it to get an idea of just how large and special of an event this is:

The torchlight procession, led by the Up Helly Aa Vikings. Over 8,000 people with torchlights follow the Vikings through the city in a parade that ends in a bonfire and fireworks on Calton Hill.

Fireworks over Calton Hill after the torchlight procession.

The streets of Edinburgh fill with people braving the cold. Plastic bottles are filled with more than just soda since there’s no glass allowed at the festival.

Yup, lots and lots of people attend this celebration.

Hot Dub Time Machine. He mixed together every #1 hit from the 1950s to today over multiple screens playing throughout the city. I’ve never heard so many people sing along at once.

Lily Allen performing at the end of the festival. She closed out the night. I spent a long time dancing to her and the ABBA cover band, Bjorn Again.

Fireworks over the castle. Starting at 9pm, they have small fireworks shows to mark each hour, which culminate in a grand 20-minute display at midnight. It was one of most impressive fireworks shows I’ve ever seen.

What I loved about this evening was that Hogmanay had character to it. It wasn’t a house party or an overpriced bar. It was a multi-day event with day and nighttime activities. Hogmanay was something special. I felt like I was celebrating a real holiday.

I’ve enjoyed some amazing New Year’s celebrations in the past, but this event is one for the record books. I appreciated the revelry, music, and fireworks, as well as my friends and the camaraderie among strangers, more than any other previous New Year’s party I’ve been to. I would definitely make a return trip.

If you’re looking to do something different for New Year’s Eve, go to Hogmanay. It was everything that I had hoped it would be. Edinburgh is a beautiful and exciting city in its own right, but this festival just adds another layer of fun. Just be sure to bring a heavy coat — it’s cold there in January!

Now, time to check Sydney off my list this year. Who’s in?

Disclosure: Hogmanay organizers invited me to this year’s event. They paid for my flight, accommodation, event ticket, and three meals during the week I was in the city. All hangovers were of my own doing.

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I had never heard about this but sounds incredible! I’ve spent the last two NYE in Paris and it was so dull. I’ll still be in Europe the next winter and now I know where to go! Thanks for sharing Matt!

I’m from Edinburgh and love Hogmany! When I’ve spent it in other parts of the world I’ve always thought is this it!? I was lucky enough to spend it this year in Sydney and see the fireworks, as spectacular as they were there was no build up and Edinburgh is still better.

I’ve been to some epic New Years bashes but this is one for the record books! Having that said, there are two places in which I would love to spend NYE: NY City because it’s just massive and Edinburgh because it looks so engaging and special. Can’t wait to go there! I went to Hogmanay in Edinburgh in 2005 and it is still my favourite New Years to date! Second is Rhthym and Vines Festival in Gisborne, the first city in the world to see the sun on New Years day. It’s a music festival in a vineyard and was just amazing. I have been to Sydney for New Years and the crowds were too much for me

Great to know! I live in London, though I’m originally from Brazil, and I’d never heard about this! I’ve spent NYE in Tromso, didn’t get much luck with the northern lights, but still it was a great trip. Maybe this yr I can gather some friends and head up to Edinburgh! Tks for the tip!!

I’m a huge New Year’s nut (I love it more than Christmas!) and spent last year in Sydney while you were in Edinburgh — and this December I’m planning to go to Hogmanay! It checks off the last of my NYE bucket list (having celebrated twice in Sydney and once in Reykjavik) 🙂

We usually go to Inverness for Hogmanay but 2015 was rang in stye over three days in edinburgh this year. We did the torchlit parade, a couple of my pals are on the Up Helly Aa Squad and Twin Atlantic were playing on the main general stage, amazing! we scooted up to Pitlochry the next day for a street ceilidh with the vikings and locals just to finish off some great New Years Celebrations. Feel free to get in touch, the whole family are heading to Sydney for Hogamanay this year, throw in all of us Irish, some Scots, Shetlanders and a few expats and its going to be a few days of the craic and banter!

Hey everyone! Due to the age of this post and the difficulty in moderating thousands of posts for spam, comments for this post have been turned off. If you would like to continue the discussion, head over to the forums at http://forums.nomadicmatt.com and chat there! I frequently post and reply to threads over there! Thanks! – Matt